Coastal and Tropical Hazards

4 hazards · Natural hazards

The shoreline, before and after the storm.

Hurricanes and storm surge, tsunami, erosion and high surf. Tropical systems carry their own planning horizon, and the slow retreat of a coastline carries another.

Talk to us about Coastal and Tropical HazardsAll 73 hazards →

What you’d hand your council

The first page of an evidence brief for Hurricane / Tropical Storm / Storm Surge, one of the 4 hazards here. There is one for every hazard your team prepares for.

Evidence brief for Cedar Ridge County (example)

September 14, 2026

Hurricane / Tropical Storm / Storm Surge

Hazard in Coastal and Tropical Hazards, on the established threats & hazards list

Impact
5432112345

Likelihood

Likelihood
2

Unlikely — Possible but infrequent — roughly once in 50 to 100 years (1–2% chance in any year).

Impact
2

Minor — Limited effects — few injuries, damage confined to a small area, brief localized disruption of services.

Readiness
4

High — The organization has a well-developed capability to manage this threat or hazard. Plans, personnel, resources, and skills are largely in place, and the capability has been meaningfully tested or demonstrated. Remaining gaps are unlikely to significantly impair performance.

  • 2source documents
  • 58verified mentions
  • 2federal declarations
  • 91.6NRI score, relatively high
Worked example: Cedar Ridge County is fictional. The scores illustrate the format and are nobody's decision. Open a full sample brief →

The 4 hazards in Coastal and Tropical Hazards

Expected annual loss, nationally

Summed over every U.S. county, for the hazards FEMA models

  1. Hurricane / Tropical Storm / Storm Surge$14.2B
  2. Tsunami$1.1B

Not modelled by FEMA, so shown as the gap they are: Coastal Erosion, High Surf & Waves.

FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0

How we can help

How we’d help you prepare for Coastal and Tropical Hazards

  1. 1

    We pull your coastal record

    Hurricane and coastal declarations, NRI's hurricane, coastal flooding and tsunami ratings, and the mitigation FEMA has already funded.

  2. 2

    We read the plans you already have

    Mitigation plan, evacuation and coastal material, so what they say about Coastal and Tropical Hazards is cited rather than assumed.

  3. 3

    You leave with a cited brief

    Likelihood, impact and readiness for Coastal and Tropical Hazards on your own scale, every figure tied to its source, ready for the planning team or the council.

Preparing for Coastal and Tropical Hazards

Plan for Coastal and Tropical Hazards with the record of your own coastline.

Coastal hazards arrive together: wind, surge and erosion in one event. We keep their evidence apart so each gets its own score and its own actions. A person replies within one business day.

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